Gianna
by burningbridges97
Summary: She arrives at the Navy Yard, claiming to be Ziva's daughter. Will contain Tiva. AU.
1. Chapter 1

The doors of the train opened, letting on a new group of commuters, and letting another group off. A teenage girl stood from her seat to allow a young woman holding an infant, heavy bag over her shoulder, to sit down.

"Thank you so much," the woman said gratefully, readjusting her grip on her child and setting her bag on her lap.

"You're welcome," the girl replied, smiling slightly at the baby and her mother. "She's adorable," she added, pointing to the child.

"This is Lizzie," she responded, nodding toward her daughter, who was sleeping contentedly. "Where are you headed, sweetie?"

"Navy Yard," came the girl's answer. "You?"

"Anacostia. Now that I think of it, shouldn't you be in school?"

"I'm not, uh, from here. We've got a day off because our heater blew."

"I see. Where are your parents?"

"I'm going to meet my mom there. She works at NCIS."

"Woman in the male-dominant profession of law enforcement. That's refreshing."

"Yeah. She's a very independent woman."

"Good to know that there's more of those in the world. There's your stop, hon."

"It was nice meeting you," she murmured, clutching the nearby rail tightly as the train slowed to a halt, the doors opening. She made her way off of the car and pushed through the crowds. Reaching street level, she made her way toward the building she was looking for.

She reached security, getting a few strange looks from the guards. An agent who introduced herself as Agent Johnson escorted her upstairs via elevator.

"Who, exactly, are you looking for?" inquired the agent.

"Special Agent Ziva David."

They elevator doors slid open and she took a deep breath, bracing herself for the inevitable. She stepped out of the box, entering the bright orange squadroom. She noticed that only one of the desks in the MCRT's area was occupied. Johnson led her over to that desk.

"Miss Parker, this is Special Agent DiNozzo, Agent David's partner."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Parker." Tony extended a hand to shake the fourteen-year-old's. "I can take it from here, Agent Johnson. Thank you." The female agent nodded and took off. "So, you're looking for Agent David?"

"Yes, sir," the teenager answered.

"You can call me Tony. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not unless you know where Agent David is."

"May I ask why you're here?"

"Yesterday, in the hospital, my foster mother passed away. On her deathbed, she gave me a box. In that box were a necklace and a piece of paper. On that necklace were five charms…" The girl tugged a chain from her basketball sweatshirt. She showed him each of the small silver charms in turn. There were three cursive letters, the Star of David, and a cross. "And on that paper was a name. And that name is Ziva David."

"What does that name mean to you?"

"I did some research. I found my birth certificate. Her name was on it."

Tony's felt his heart stop for a moment, but he kept his cool. There was no proof that this was Ziva's daughter yet. And if this girl were desperate enough, she would use any connection she could find to anyone who might help her.

"Uh… and who's… who's your father?"

"That is the question. There was no name. I don't know if she even knew."

Tony nodded slowly. He looked at the girl. She had wavy brown hair, green eyes, and tan skin. She was clad in a navy blue basketball sweatshirt, gray field hockey sweatpants, and sneakers. She was approximately 5'3", and had a dark blue backpack slung over her shoulders.

"I know this is probably going to be Ziva's decision, but our forensic scientist could do a DNA test to check that she's your biological mother. And she could run your DNA to see if it checks out with any other database. Maybe we could find your father."

"I'd like that. Oh, I never told you my name. It's Gianna Ahava Parker."

Tony almost gasped. When he and Ziva had gone out to dinner a few weeks previous, he'd won her a stuffed ninja bear from the crane machine that the restaurant had to entertain children. And she'd named the bear _Ahava_. Tony had found the name on the Internet, to learn the meaning of the name.

"Ahava," he began. "That means love in Hebrew. And Gianna means God is gracious in Italian."

She nodded.

"How do you know that?"

"If I had a daughter, I always wanted to name her Gianna. I love that name. And Ziva named the teddy bear I gave her Ahava. I guess you really are her daughter."

"Hmm…" Gianna muttered. "My own foster father doesn't even know what my name means. You'd be a lot better dad than him." At that precise moment, the Israeli-American in question entered the bullpen. The fourteen-year-old turned to see her.

"Hello," Ziva said, handing Tony a coffee from her tray. She placed the other two on Tim and Gibbs's desks, setting the last on her own. "Hi," she greeted the girl.

"Hi," Gianna replied quietly. Tony jumped in, sensing the girl's hesitance.

"Ziva, this is Gianna Ahava Parker. She's been looking for you."

"Gianna Ahava…" she murmured. She couldn't help but flash back fourteen years. She had looked into the beautiful green eyes of a baby girl as she sat, exhausted and tearful, in a hospital bed. She looked back and forth between Tony and Gianna, eyes wide. "Tateleh…"

"Hello, Ima," Gianna replied. The next thing Tony knew, the two women were embracing, tears flowing down their faces. Tony gently rubbed his partner's back, comforting her. They both pulled away soon, wiping away their tears.

"What are you doing here? Where are your foster parents?"

"My foster mother just passed away. Her husband, well, he is… abusive. I couldn't stay with him any longer."

"I am so sorry, tateleh. I was trying to save you from my life. I did not want you to be Mossad as well. When I discovered that I was having a child, I had just been sent to America. I was five months along before I actually found out. You were born two and a half months later. I had you put up for adoption so that you could have a better life in America. I wanted you to keep your innocence as long as possible. I did not want you to be a killer so young, or meet the fate of my sister."

"I understand," Gianna replied, nodding. "I know that you didn't have much of a choice. I was just wondering… there was no paternal name on my birth certificate. I just wondered if… if you knew?"

"I am sorry, but I do not remember. I was drunk at the time, and all I remembered is that his name began with an A and that he was Catholic. That is all that I can manage to decipher from these bits of words and images I get."

Gianna nodded.

"I may have mentioned," Tony began, "that Abby could do a DNA test, just to be sure that you are her mother, not that any of us have any doubts. It might help should there be any disputes about custody with her foster father. I also suggested that she might cross-reference some of our databases to see if we have her father on record."

Ziva nodded, looking at the teenager.

"Okay. We should give her a blind test, though. She should take DNA from Gianna and see if Abby will check it against the NCIS databases first, then expand it to all of those she can think of."

Tony nodded.

"Should we take her down to Abby?"

"We should."

* * *

The three made it to the lab.

"Abby?" Tony called. Abby came through her sliding door and met them at the door.

"Hey. Who is this? What can I do for you?"

"This is Gianna Parker," Tony introduced the girl. "She's fourteen. We need you to run a DNA test for her."

"Sure. What do you want me to run it against?"

"Start with the NCIS database. See if you can find her parents, specifically her mother. Then expand to all the databases you know. How long do you think it will take?"

"To cross-reference with the NCIS database will be a few hours. Depending on how many different databases I need to use, it could be a day or so."

"Thanks, Abbs. Call us when you get something, kay?"

"Got it. I'll need to take a DNA sample."

"This doesn't involve needles, does it?" squeaked Gianna.

"Oh, no, I just swab the inside of your cheek."

"Good," she sighed in relief.

* * *

"How, exactly, are you going to tell Gibbs?" Tony asked his partner.

"I seriously do not know. I figured I would just come out and say it and see how he reacts."

"Do you know what you're going to do?"

"No," she whispered. "I mean, I know nothing about my own daughter. I do not know how to deal with children. Gianna was… she was an accident that happened fourteen years ago. And while I would not change what happened, because she is my daughter and I love her, I just wish that… I wish that I could have been a part of her life."

"I get it," he replied quietly. "I'm here for you, you know."

"Thank you."

"I mean it. I know that you've used up a lot of your leave time lately and that Gibbs needed you here as a translator for the case. I can take some time off and take Gianna back to my place. I know you don't have an extra bedroom. If you'd like, you can both come and stay with me. I usually fall asleep on my couch anyways. You can have my room and Gianna can have the spare. She'd probably like to take a shower, get settled." Tony lowered his voice. "You know… someone's father isn't necessarily their dad. Your father is simply your biological parent. Your dad is the person who teaches you everything, who cares about you above all else. Ziva… I started caring about this girl from the moment I met her. I saw you when I saw her. I saw the hair, the same build, the same stance, and the same skin. She's just like you."

"Except the eyes," she murmured. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she had your eyes. Green, a little hazel, kinda foggy…"

Tony smiled a little, pushing one of Ziva's loose curls behind her ear.

"I'll talk to Gibbs and see if I can bring her home. I want you two staying with me. Okay, Zi?"

"Why are you doing this for us, Tony?"

"Because I care, Ziva. And she should have some kind of father figure in her life. Since that's not going to be either her foster father or her biological one… well, I think that I can do at least somewhat better than either of them did. You know I'd never leave you guys or hurt you. I really care about you both."

Ziva smiled up at him, and stood slowly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much, Tony. You don't know how much this means to me."

She pulled back slightly and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.

Tony wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this story! I'm really loving your support! Anyways, please read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of its characters. Anything recognizable belongs to its rightful owner(s).**

* * *

"Boss," Tony greeted Gibbs in the elevator. "We need to talk." He reached out and flipped off the emergency switch.

"What's going on?"

"This morning, a girl named Gianna Parker came into the bullpen. She's on the run from her foster father and her foster mother just died. She knows Ziva and came to her for help. I know you need Ziva for the case, so can I take Gianna back to my place and get her settled for the time being? I'd like to be her protection detail. I think I could handle a crazy foster father. And of course, we'll have Ducky look her over and do a psych evaluation. If her foster father so much as laid a hand on her, he's dead."

"And what grounds do we have to keep her?"

"She thinks that she's related to Ziva. I think that's grounds enough."

"Is Abby running DNA?"

"Of course. Cross-referencing the NCIS database."

"Alright. Take the girl home."

"Thank you, boss."

* * *

"This is my apartment," Tony explained to Gianna, leading her into his living room. "You and Ziva will both be staying here for a while, at least until we figure out our situation."

"You and Ziva are really close, aren't you?"

"We're partners. And friends. Very good friends."

"You love her?"

"Of course I love her. We're family."

"No, Tony, I mean, are you _in _love with her?"

Tony spluttered a little.

"What? What makes you think—Ziva and I? That would never… we don't…"

"I asked you if you're in love with her, Tony, not if you think it would work."

"You promise you won't tell your mom?"

"Of course I won't."

"I am deeply and desperately in love with Ziva. You happy?"

"No, and I won't be until you tell her."

"Your bedroom is right through there. There's a bathroom across the hall. You can take a shower if you'd like."

"Thanks," Gianna replied.

* * *

Tony received a call from Ziva while they were pulling into the Navy Yard.

"DiNozzo," he answered the phone.

"Tony. Abby has the results. She knows who Gianna's father is. I don't think I can do this alone. Could you… could you come with me?"

"Of course. Um… just us, or…?"

"I'd like to get the results before I tell her. Could you leave her with Gibbs or something?"

"Yeah. Gotcha. We're coming upstairs now."

Tony hung up the phone as he and Gianna entered the squadroom.

"Hey, Gibbs, would you mind staying with her while Ziva and I go talk to Abby about something?"

"Sure," Gibbs replied, looking up from his desk. "Hi, I'm Gibbs," he greeted her.

"Gianna," she replied.

"Let's go to the employee lounge. I'll buy you an ice cream."

* * *

Tony looked over at Ziva as they waited for the elevator.

"You alright?" he asked quietly

"Fine," she replied anxiously.

"You're not fine."

"I am… nervous. What if… what if her father is not a good man? Or what if I'm not her mother? What if… what if her father wants to fight for custody? Then her foster father wants custody too? Tony… I don't know if I'm ready for this." They boarded the elevator.

"Nobody's ever ready for it. Do you think that Gibbs was ready when he found out he was going to be Kelly's dad? Or Franks with Liam? Do you think Leyla was ready to be Amira's mom? I doubt it. You'll be fine. We're all here for you: Gibbs, Tim, Abbs, Ducky, Palmer, and especially me. You heard my offer before. I want to be there for you both. I would go to hell and back for the both of you. I already have for you. Somalia, remember? I will be there for you. I know that with this job I cannot guarantee how long that will be, but I will be there for you as long as possible, understand?"

Ziva nodded, and smiled up at him.

"Your really have grown up, you know that?"

"Nice to finally hear you say so."

The elevator doors opened, and they entered Abby's lab.

"Hey, Abbs, you got the results?"

"Um… yeah… I have a question first. Why did you give this to me as a blind test?"

"Abby," Ziva began, "Gianna came to me claiming she was my daughter. When I was 20, I fooled around when I was drunk. Several months later, I found out I was pregnant. Even if I was still able to have an abortion, I could never have done that. I just couldn't. I realized that I couldn't put my baby through what Tali, Ari, and I had to. I wanted her to grow up in America, with the hope of a positive future. I put her up for adoption. She came to me this morning, telling me she'd found her birth certificate, and tracked me down. She has an abusive foster father. I wasn't sure how to tell you, especially since there was no set-in-stone evidence that she was my child. And from your reaction, I'm pretty sure that that has been confirmed."

Abby nodded slowly, and embraced her friend.

"Of course," she replied. "Congratulations, Ziva."

"Thank you. I… I think I'm ready to know who the father is."

Abby nodded, and pulled over her two computer chairs from her desk.

"Sit. Both of you."

Glancing at one another, they complied, taking their seats

"Alright…" Abby took the remote to the plasma on her wall, and clicked it once. Ziva's photo popped up. "I matched Gianna's DNA to Ziva's in the NCIS database. It was enough of a shock to find out Ziva was the mother of a fourteen-year-old. You can imagine the shock that I got when I got the next hit." Abby clicked the remote a second time.

Tony and Ziva both gasped.

"You're joking…" Ziva breathed. Abby shook her head. Both women looked over at Tony. His mouth was hanging open, and it took him all the effort he could muster to sit back in the chair.

"I can't believe this…" Tony murmured.

He stared up at the screen in shock, only to see his own face staring back at him.

* * *

**How many of you expected that? Probably a lot of you, right? Next chapter: Gianna finds out who her father is.**

**Please read and review! Love you guys so much! -Bridge.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I hate you all right now. You know why? I'm getting all these email alerts about favorites and reviews and story alerts and now my email is broken! Just so you know, I really love you all. This attention is just going to my head. Thanks for all the positive feedback! My self-esteem has gone up A LOT.**

**Disclaimer: I may have 21 million fans *blush* but I don't own NCIS. *SIGH***

* * *

"How did this…? You and I never… We didn't meet until… What…?"

"Tony, are you okay?"

"I… I mean… were you in Ohio in… '97? Was that really you? I just have bits and pieces from that night… I was so stoned, I don't… I can't believe all these years and I never…"

Abby quietly backed out, leaving the other two to talk.

"It happened in Ohio, yes," replied Ziva. "I guess you really are her father. Look, you don't have to feel obligated—"

"Have you been ignoring everything I've said today? You guys are my family. And I already loved her like my own before I knew she was mine. She's such a sweet girl. And now I know she's my daughter. I love her, Ziva. And you and I should figure out a way to make this work, at least for her."

"Make it work…?"

"I'm not saying that you and I have to get married and settle down, just for Gianna's sake. But we should get our things straight. She deserves that much, Zi."

Ziva nodded.

"How exactly are we supposed to tell her and the team? How do we explain what happened in Ohio? How do we explain what's happening now?"

"We take it one person at a time. We have to explain this to Abby. I'll tell Gibbs. Then we should take Gianna home and tell her."

"Home…?"

"My apartment. At least until you and I sort this out, you two are staying with me. I want you guys nearby."

* * *

"Gibbs, we need to talk," Tony began, walking into the employee lounge.

"Okay," Gibbs replied.

"I'll take Gianna," Ziva added. She and Gianna returned to the bullpen, and Tony took a seat by his boss.

"So…?" Gibbs inquired, staring his agent down. "Abby get the results?"

"Yes. So, uh, I guess I should start at the beginning… Back in '97, Sierra Martinez hosted a bonfire and campout in West Manchester, Ohio. An Israeli Mossad officer who was spending a year in America for school had made friends with Sierra at a college party. She had been invited to the campout. Everyone there had a few too many drinks and when a guy came onto her, she was all too willing. They parted ways early the next morning, and remembered virtually nothing about one another. In fact, they rarely even gave it a second thought until five months later, when she discovered that she was pregnant. Wanting to give her child a better future than the life she'd had, she put her up for adoption.

"Fourteen years passed by when a girl named Gianna Ahava Parker lost her foster mother. She found her birth certificate, tracked down her birth mother, and ran away from her foster father. She got here and met Ziva, who, as you now know, is her birth mother. To be positive, Abby cross-referenced Gianna's DNA with the NCIS database. You can imagine her shock to see Ziva's photograph pop up. She was shocked even further to find the father in a database. Our database. Her father… I'm her father, Gibbs."

Gibbs was speechless, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Uh… Boss?"

"Yeah… wow… I, uh… you and Ziva… before NCIS?"

"We never even knew."

"What are you going to do?"

"The three of us are living together for the time being, at least until we figure out the whole custody deal as far as her foster father's concerned. She and I are going to try and get our crap together for Gianna's sake. It's time that she and I finally talk this out. I want to be there for them both."

Gibbs nodded.

"Is there anything I can do?" Gibbs asked.

"For the time being? I don't think that there's anything that you can do right now. Zi and I just have to figure this out. And tell our baby girl…"

"How are you going to do that?"

"Just… come out and tell her, I guess. She was impressed that I knew what her name meant. Her own foster father didn't know and yet this guy she'd known for ten seconds did. I really love her. She's so sweet and adorable and I just wish I'd been in her life before. Even if that meant shared custody. I know that back then I never would've been ready for a kid, and neither would she. But now, we're fourteen years older and we're partners. We can do this."

"I don't doubt that, Anthony."

* * *

Tony, Ziva, and Gianna made it into their apartment.

"Zi, you know where my room is," Tony replied. "You can put your stuff in the top drawer of my dresser. It's empty right now."

Ziva nodded, and took off down the hall. Gianna grinned in Tony's direction.

"She knows where your bedroom is, huh?"

"Shut it, short person," he shot back, avoiding her eyes. Gianna's grin widened.

"I knew it! I just knew that you two—"

"Okay, kid. How much do you think you know about my relationship with your mom?"

"Gibbs told me enough. You've been partners for seven years. The tension between you is more than he thinks either of you can stand. He's sure that you're both too stubborn to admit anything, but you're slowly recognizing that you need to have that discussion. At least, that's what Gibbs said. And from what I can tell, he's right."

"You keep asking about my love life. What about yours?"

"There's no one," she said, just a little too quickly. Tony let a small smile grace his face.

"What's his name?"

Gianna sighed.

"His name's Jason. He's really great. We're sort of friends. His best friend is a friend of mine and she knows I have a thing for him. She was dropping hints about a girl that kinda liked him, and we think he figured out it was me. It's just… I don't think that he'd be into me that way…"

"Oh, sweetheart, it's okay." He walked to her side and kissed her forehead.

"You know… I don't really have any close friends. Just Jason. If it means me being able to live with you two—"

"Gi, sweetie… right now, I don't know how this custody case is going to go. Your foster father's gonna say that Ziva gave you up and has no right to you. He's gonna claim that he raised you and that he deserves to be your guardian more than her."

"But you found out who my father is, right? Can't he do something?"

"He's going to do everything that he can. Everything."

"Who is my dad, Tony?"

Tony paused for a second, opening his mouth, only to close it once again.

"I think that we should wait for Ziva to tell you that."

Gianna nodded, pulling her hair back. All Tony could think of was that night in the rain, while he was tailing Ziva to get more information on Ari. Gianna looked just like Ziva, who, at that moment, stepped into the living room.

"Ziva, I think we should tell her."

Ziva nodded, and the two adults sat on either side of their daughter.

"Tateleh, as I believe you know, I am your biological mother."

Gianna nodded, looking at Ziva.

"I need to tell you about how I met your father. You see, I was spending a year in America for school…"

"_Ziva! So glad you could come!" exclaimed Sierra. "This party's gonna rock!"_

"_Good to know," Ziva replied. She took a seat on a log by the campfire. The night wore on and the college students found themselves consuming a combination of s'mores and alcohol. The air grew colder, and as the sun dropped beneath the horizon, the temperature dropped considerably._

"_I'm gonna go to bed. See you in the morning," Sierra announced. Several others soon returned to their respective tents. After a while, Ziva found that she and one other person remained outside. He made his way to sit beside her._

"_Hi," he greeted her. "I'm Anthony. What's your name?"_

"_Ziva," she replied. She felt herself shiver a little, and did her best to hide it, not wanting to let anyone see her as anything less than perfect. The man tugged his own coat off and draped it over her shoulders._

"_You look cold; it's the least I could do."_

_She mumbled her thanks._

"_You should probably go to bed. It's cold out here. The sooner you head in, the better. The best thing any of us can do right now is sleep off this alcohol."_

"_What about you? Shouldn't you go to bed?"_

"_Ah, my buddy Josh has a girl with him in our tent. There's no way I'm about to head in there."_

"_You can stay with me. I have my own tent."_

"_Thank you," he replied. She took his hand and pulled him with her. They sat on the edge of her air mattress._

"_So… where are you from?" she inquired._

"_New York. I was born into a rich family, but they cut me off when I was twelve. What about you?"_

"_Tel Aviv, Israel. I was also born into a wealthy family. I was not cut off, but that wealth came with a price. I became a part of the Mossad."_

"_You didn't have a choice."_

"_I had a choice. But then again, I did not."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_There is nothing for you to be sorry for." She tugged on the chain of her necklace, straightening it out._

"_The Star of David," he murmured._

"_I am Jewish. Do you have a problem with that?"_

"_Oh, no, none at all. I'm sorry, did that sound rude? I just noticed your necklace."_

"_No, it's fine. What about you?"_

"_Catholic," he replied. "Dad didn't really practice any religion, but Mom did. She took me to church every Sunday. After she died, I don't think I went to church for five years. My dad went away on business a lot when I was a teenager, and I ended up spending my Sunday s there instead of staying home."_

"_I am sorry."_

"_Like you said: there's nothing to be sorry for."_

_She looked at him, and then leaned toward him, pressing her lips to his._

"_Wow," he whispered when she pulled away. She smiled in reply, kissing him again. He took control of the kiss, pushing her back to the mattress. "Are you sure you want to do this?"_

_She nodded in reply, wrapping her arms around his neck._

_The next morning found everyone at the campout with terrible hangovers, and they were no exception._

"_My brother is waiting for me at my college," Ziva told him. "I have to go."_

_He placed a gentle kiss to her lips._

"_Maybe we'll meet again someday."_

"_Maybe… someday."_

"Oh my God…" Gianna murmured. "Oh my God… Do you mean to tell me that… Are you serious?"

"I am," Ziva replied. "If you do not believe us, you can get the lab results from Abby. Or we can run the test again. But it is true. Tony is your father. Some strange twist of fate brought us all here together. Some miracle brought me back to him. And we are going to do everything we can to keep you. We love you, tateleh."

"But this is… this is amazing! We can be a family!"

"We'll do the best we can to get custody of you," Tony responded. "Zi and I still need to get our stuff together and figure out how this is going to work. For now, we'd like to know the extent of the abuse you suffered from your foster parents."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for taking your time to read! I love you all! Please, keep reviewing!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: "Tony, please, calm down. You're only making Gianna nervous." -Ziva**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Somebody just marry me now. Over 20 reviews on the first three chapters - I have almost 50 reviews for all my stories combined, and so many favorites! I'm loving it!**

**This chapter is dedicated to SilverSentinal21, who has been giving me so much help on my stories! You're awesome!**

* * *

Gianna shrunk back in her seat.

"Olivia Marshall was a nice lady who just wanted a child. She couldn't have one, so she adopted me. She met a man at a bar one night. His name is Steven Parker. He had quit drinking recently and all was good… until a few months ago. He lost his job. He started drinking again and became really abusive. He used to wait until Olivia left so he could hit me. And he hit me and hit me… and recently, he… he…"

"Oh, tateleh…" Ziva murmured. "It's okay, sweetheart." She rocked her daughter in her arms as she cried. Tony stood up angrily.

"I am going to kill that man," he stated. "Nobody does that to anyone I know and lives."

"Tony, please, calm down. You're only making Gianna nervous."

Tony began pacing, trying to calm himself.

"I'm calling Ducky. We're going to have her checked out. Then we're going to take this Steven Parker to court and have him sent back to jail."

"Tony…" Ziva warned, cradling her daughter in her arms. "Please, come here."

"What?"

"Tony, she's having a anxiety attack. Please, help me get her to her bed."

Tony's eyes widened, and he rushed to their side, picking his daughter up in his arms. He carried her to her bed and set her in it, him and Ziva both holding her close.

"Calm down, honey, it's okay," he tried. "You're safe now, sweetheart."

"Daddy," she sobbed, "make him stop!"

"Nobody's gonna hurt you, baby girl. Steven is gone. He's gonna go to jail. You'll be okay."

A few minutes passed and her sobs subsided. Ziva stood, letting go of her daughter. Gianna flung her arms around her father's neck, burying her face in his chest. Ziva soon returned with a glass of water, and handed it to the teenager to drink. Tony steadied her hand as she raised it to her lips. He helped her set it down on the bedside table. Her parents took their seats on the bed beside her.

"Tateleh, I have gone through some of the same things you have. A few years ago, I went on mission in Somalia and was captured by a terrorist. He did terrible, unspeakable things. He hurt me much as Steven hurt you. I will not let you go through that again, okay? As much as I tried to shield your innocence by leaving you in America, I realize that your innocence was taken at much too young an age. Tony and I are going to do all we can to keep you safe. There is no way that you are going to go back to him. You are safe here."

Gianna nodded, and her mother held her. Tony kissed his daughter's forehead and got up, taking his cell phone from his pocket. He walked into his (or, at the moment, Ziva's) bedroom, and hit speed dial four. It rang thrice before the owner of the phone on the other end answered.

"Yeah, it's McGee."

"Hey, Tim. I need you to do something for me."

McGee could sense the tension in Tony's voice, and the use of his first name confirmed the gravity of this conversation.

"Sure, Tony, anything."

"I need you to run background on someone named Steven Parker."

"Alright. Anything you want me to look for, specifically? Anything you know to narrow down my search?"

"He's living in the DC area. Out of work. Olivia Marshall Parker, his wife, passed away in the hospital yesterday. He has a foster child: Gianna Ahava Parker. Ran away from her home after her foster mom's death. Look for a criminal record."

"Got it." Tim hesitated for a moment. "Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"What's going on?"

"It's kind of complicated."

"I'm a good listener."

"Alright, McModesty. Fourteen years ago, Ziva and I met at a party while we were drunk. We were young and things got… you know… and fourteen years later here we are just meeting our daughter."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment. Tim would've thought it was a joke, except Tony's voice said otherwise.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks, Tim," Tony replied sincerely. "Gianna Ahava. All this time and I never knew I had a baby girl out there somewhere. And to think… my baby girl was abused. Her adoptive father _abused _her! How could somebody do that, Tim?"

"I don't know, Tony. I'm so sorry."

"I want to be there for her, you know? All this time, I wasn't there for her, and now… I have a chance to be the father she never had. I can be her dad. It just comes down to how things work out between Ziva and I. I don't even know what we're gonna do. How is this going to change things between me and her?"

"Maybe it will give you two a chance to get your crap together and finally tell each other how you feel."

"What?"

"We all can see it. Me, Abby, Jimmy, Ducky, even Gibbs. We've all been waiting for you two to just hook up already. It'll be better in the long run. Just tell her how you feel. It's the perfect opportunity, and for God's sake, it's what your daughter needs. The poor girl needs a sense of family. Now, pull yourself together, go walk up to Ziva, and just kiss her!"

"You think it's that easy?"

"It's been your method before. With EJ, Jeanne, and Wendy, it was all too easy to just go up to them and openly flirt, but when it comes to Ziva… face it, you're hopeless."

"Anthony DiNozzo? Hopeless? I don't think so."

"Admit it: you love her."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too! Don't make me bring Abby in on this, too. You'll never win an argument against her. I'll assume she already knows about Gianna."

"She knows. Only because she ran the tests and we couldn't not explain when the test said we were her parents."

"Alright. Good luck, Tony. I'll have results for you tomorrow, okay? Get a good night's sleep."

"You too, Tim. Thanks. 'Night, bro."

"'Night."

Tony hung up, placing the phone on the table beside his bed. He left his bedroom to find Ziva leaving Gianna's room.

"How is she?"

"She's asleep. I hope she does not have nightmares."

"I hope so, too." He quietly entered her room and kissed his daughter's forehead. Ziva watched from the doorway. _"__Buonanotte_. _Sei tutto per me_."

He left her room, and stood behind Ziva, staring in at the sleeping form of their child. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Ziva's waist.

"We have a daughter," he whispered in her ear, setting his chin on her shoulder.

"That we do," she murmured in reply. She turned in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck. "Do not take the couch tonight," she said suddenly. "It is not like we have not shared a bed before. In fact, that is exactly what got us here, is it not?"

Tony nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she replied, taking his hand and leading him back to his room.

* * *

Tony and Ziva left Gianna with Abby the next morning as they headed into work. Tony approached McGee upon arrival in the squadroom.

"Tony. Here's a full report on Steven Parker."

"Thanks, Tim. You don't know how much this means to me."

The younger agent nodded, returning to his computer. Tony glanced over the papers, swore, and then stood abruptly.

"You know where Gibbs is?"

"Yeah, he's in Autopsy with Ducky."

"Thanks."

* * *

Tony entered Autopsy to find Gibbs immersed in conversation with Ducky. Well, Ducky was talking and Gibbs was listening impatiently.

"Sorry to interrupt, but this is a matter of extreme urgency," Tony began. "Gibbs, are you still in contact with Agent Callen in Los Angeles?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need to speak to Detective Deeks. Immediately."

"How come?"

"Despite his current beliefs, his father is not dead."

"And you know this… how?"

"McGee ran background on Gianna's foster father, Steven Parker. According to some of the documents Tim found, Steven's twin brother, Gordan John Brandel, was killed in a car accident four years ago. Steven identified his remains. However, Tim had Abby run fingerprint analysis on some of Gianna's things, and the prints matched Brandel's from when he was in prison. I'm taking the side of the body-swap theory. Brandel took Parker's place, hoping to live a better life without a criminal record.

"I looked into the files of both brothers and found that Martin Deeks was not Brandel's only kid. Years before Brandel met Deeks's mom, he met another woman named Sheila Foster, with whom he had a daughter, Jessica C. Brandel. He left her upon finding out that she was pregnant. Several years later, it says that Detective Deeks, then eleven, shot his father in self-defense. Brandel served his time, and then married another woman named Alicia Wallace. They had twins together before Brandel supposedly died."

"I'll call up the LA office."

* * *

**So who saw that coming? Next chapter: CROSSOVER! There will be Deeks/Kensi. So if you're a fan of other ships, you can feel free to skip whatever Densi scenes I've written. Thanks! Please review! Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited this story so far! -Bridge.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad that everyone was shocked at my 'plot twist' of a crossover! This chapter will be the only crossover chapter in this story. If any of the NCIS:LA fans would like a follow-up fic over in that fandom, let me know in your reviews. I'd love to delve into the Densi a little more and how Deeks deals with Sheila, Jessica, Alicia, and the twins. But for now, read and enjoy, because I was up until 1:30 am doing a science project, and will be sleeping for the rest of my life. Thanks.**

**Warning: There may be some strong language use in this chapter. Just be warned.**

**Disclaimer: All I own are the first two seasons of NCIS on DVD and the NCIS:LA puzzle...**

* * *

"DiNozzo, David," came a call from the catwalk as the aforementioned agents waited patiently in the squadroom. They looked up to see Gibbs. "MTAC. Now."

They headed upstairs and into the restricted room.

On the large screen was Ops, which was, in theory, a far more advanced version of MTAC in the LA office. That room contained seven people.

"Agent Gibbs," greeted the short older woman in the front of the group. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you, Hetty," he replied.

"What exactly is the purpose of this call?" The woman was short and to the point, which Gibbs respected.

"We needed to speak with Detective Deeks," Tony interjected. "It concerns his father. If you'd prefer we speak to you alone—"

"No, no, it's fine," Deeks replied. Ziva couldn't help but notice the look that his partner gave him. She saw the woman subtly slip her hand into his and he held onto it tight. Ziva allowed herself a small smile. No one else had noticed the action.

"We have information that may confirm that your father is not dead," Tony continued. "Do you recall ever meeting your father's twin, your uncle, a man named Steven Parker?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember him. Uncle Steve. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Why do you ask?"

"Supposedly, your Uncle Steve has been abusing his teenage foster daughter, Gianna. However, when our forensic scientist, Abby, ran some of the prints on Gianna's belongings, they matched your father's exactly. Our theory is that your uncle was driving your father's car one day and crashed it. Your father saw it as a way to start fresh, no criminal record, and identified his brother's body as his own."

"That low bastard's not dead?" Deeks inquired harshly. Ziva noticed the detective's partner squeeze his hand, and he relaxed. "I'm sorry. My past with my father is complicated. You said he was abusing another kid? Is she okay?"

"Gianna? She's a little emotionally unstable, but she's okay."

"If she needs to talk, could you give her my number? I know what she's been through."

"Of course."

"Thank you." Deeks allowed himself a pause before delving into the question that was really bugging him. "Why is NCIS involved in this?"

"Gianna is the biological daughter of two NCIS agents."

"What agents?"

"Us," Tony and Ziva said in unison. Several of their LA counterparts (not to mention the MTAC operators) glanced around at each other, rather shocked at the revelation.

"I'll be there tomorrow," Deeks replied.

"You won't go alone," Sam added. "We're coming with you."

"I'll be fine by myself."

"There's no way that you're going to DC alone," Callen continued. "We are going with you whether you like it or not."

"Fine," Deeks answered curtly. "_We'll_ be there tomorrow. Eric, Nell, book four seats on a flight to DC?"

"Got it."

"See you then."

* * *

The OSP arrived in DC the next day, just after Steven Parker/Gordon John Brandel was brought in for questioning. Deeks, Kensi, Tony, and Ziva stood in observation, just as Gibbs entered the interrogation room.

"Agent Gibbs," the man began. "Where is my daughter?"

Gibbs's blue eyes bore into the other man's dark brown ones.

"She's not your daughter."

"I raised that girl—"

"For two years. And you have been abusing her that entire time.

"You dare accuse me of hurting my own child?"

"Gianna admitted to having been physically and sexually assaulted by you on multiple occasions. Our medical examiner found extensive bruising all over her body. The rape kit we ran came back positive. You do not deserve to call a child that you abused your own!"

"She said that she had some violent boyfriend—"

"She's single. We had several agents interview some of her school friends and none of them mentioned a boyfriend. In fact, she admitted to being single to her birth father."

"He's here?"

"He's here. And he's beyond pissed that you've been mistreating his daughter. Oh, and we brought in some other people you might know."

Deeks left Observation and stepped toward the door of the Interrogation room, hesitating momentarily before throwing the door open forcefully. It slammed against the wall. The suspect caught sight of him in the mirror and turned to see him properly.

"Son…"

"Well, there's rock-solid evidence that you are who I think you are," Deeks started. Gibbs stood and left the room, offering Deeks the chair. "Gordon John Brandel, why is it that you think you can go around and ruin everyone's lives? You ruined mine, my mother's, Sheila's, Jessica's…"

"You know about Sheila and Jessica?"

"I know everything! I know about Alicia and the twins! When was I ever going to be told I had siblings? I have two sisters and a brother?"

"Marty…"

"My name is Detective Deeks to you. I don't care that you're my father. You gave everything up for alcohol. I'm kind of sorry that I didn't kill you when I was eleven."

"You're overreacting…"

"I'm overreacting? I don't remember you being the one who got abused every single freaking day!"

"I made mistakes."

"No. You did what you thought was okay. You are so lucky you're not dead."

"Why?"

"You should have seen Gianna's parents. They seem ready to kill you. You might want to forfeit custody now."

"Will it keep me out of jail?"

"No way. It just means less time in court, which means less time in NCIS custody, but the same time in jail. Maybe you'll get out of jail in time to put yourself in a nursing home."

Brandel sighed.

"Her birth parents want custody?"

"They're still working out their situation, but I know they do. Gianna will be better off with them. They seem like they'll be great parents."

In Observation, Kensi noticed Tony wrap one arm around his partner's waist. She grinned as she turned back to the window into the adjacent room.

"I'm going to jail either way?"

"Uh, yeah, pretty much."

"Then what's the point?"

"That's the spirit! We already have you on abuse charges for Gianna. Are you ready to admit to impersonating your brother, and abusing Alicia and Sheila? Or would you like to spend even longer in NCIS custody where everyone knows Gianna? Everyone here is going to give you pure hell for laying a hand on that girl. People here love her. I've met her. She's an amazing kid. But you stole her innocence! That's unforgivable!"

"I… I hurt them… Alicia, Sheila… Gianna and Olivia. Olivia died… it's my fault. It's entirely my fault. I beat her so hard."

"Damn right it's your fault! You're the reason my mother is dead! You are so damn lucky that you weren't charged with her murder the last time you went to jail! But this time, you're going for her murder, Olivia's, and the three others you abused!"

Deeks stormed out of the interrogation room. In the hallway he found Kensi waiting for him.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied brusquely.

"Don't turn into me," Kensi scolded. "We're partners; we don't give each other that crap anymore. You were there for me when Talbot drove me to the edge. You were there when I was struggling with everything that happened with my father. You were there for me, every step of the way. And now it's my turn to be there for you. I'm worried about you. You want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly, Kens."

"Okay, I'm not gonna push you."

"Thanks," he responded, making his way back toward the squadroom. Kensi grabbed his hand before he went far. He turned back to face her.

"I'm always here for you, okay, partner?" He nodded, allowing a small smile to grace his face.

"Thank you."

"Anytime. Now, let's get back to the bullpen." They took off down the hallway. Deeks didn't let go off of her hand the entire time; he needed that source of comfort.

Meanwhile, Tony and Ziva entered the interrogation room and began escorting Brandel out of the room.

"You are so lucky you are not dead, Brandel," Tony began. "I'd kill you myself if I was willing to do something so stupid."

"You don't even know me."

"I know all I need to know. You abused my daughter. _Our _daughter," he added, nodding toward Ziva. "You don't touch the people I love. You don't _use_ the people I love. And you don't even _think_ about hurting the people I love. You do, and you end up dead. You're facing three charges of domestic abuse and two charges of involuntary manslaughter. The judge is going to just love you."

* * *

**Any thoughts? Should I write a follow-up piece over on the NCIS: Los Angeles fandom? Favorite lines? Moments? Constructive criticism? I'm not particularly pleased with this chapter, but it'll have to do. **


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